Newcastle are ready for another raid on Sir Bobby Robson's former club Ipswich Town, with United weighing up a second bid for England Under-21 striker Darren Bent.

The Magpies tried to sign Bent in the January transfer window along with midfielder Darren Ambrose as they submitted a #3 million joint bid to the Suffolk club.

United eventually landed Ambrose in March for #1.5 million, with Ipswich allowed to sell due to their financial problems, though Bent remained with Town.

But Newcastle are still keen on the forward, who scored 18 goals in his first full season for the Tractor Boys as they narrowly missed out on the First Division play-offs.

Ipswich are due to come out of administration on June 4 at a Football League board meeting and will need to sell to ease their cash flow problems, with the only money currently coming into the Portman Road club from season ticket sales.

United would not be looking to pay over the odds for the Cambridge-born player and would hope to land him for a similar fee to which they signed Ambrose.

And should Bent move to Newcastle he would be the fourth Town player to join the club in four years, joining Ambrose, Titus Bramble and Kieron Dyer on the St James's playing staff.

Bent is a close friend of Ambrose, whose Newcastle debut was delayed until the final game of the season by a knee injury.

The pair returned from an England Under-21 training camp in Sardinia earlier this week, along with United duo Michael Chopra and Shola Ameobi, as David Platt's side prepare for games against Serbia and Montenegro and Slovakia next month.

Meanwhile, United midfielder Brian Kerr made his Scotland debut in the 1-1 draw against New Zealand in Ediburgh last night.

Kerr came on in the 82nd minute for Jackie McNamara while Steve and Gary Caldwell, both already full internationals, were unused substitutes at Tynecastle.